araabMUZIK
“Runaway Bass”
Unreleased

I used to be annoyed by the “you are now listening to araabMUZIK” sample that the young Rhode Islander dropped in every song, but now I’m starting to think that it’s just totally unnecessary. The producer (né Abraham Orellana) has created a sound all his own, and this single exhibits all the hallmarks of an Araab-banger: impossibly overworked MPC percussion, maximalist arraignments, and impressive melodic dynamism. Unlike many of his biggest tracks — “Feelin’ So Hood,” “Streetz Tonight,” “I Remember” — “Runaway Bass” doesn’t have a moody, EDM vocal hook to go with it, but his bulldozing synths and block-breaking drops more than make up for it. He has become one of the most in-demand producers in music, and cuts like this show why.

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Also, check out his devastating remix of Sleigh Bells’ “Never Say Die.”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/62273620″ iframe=”true” /]

Well, as you probably noticed, Thunder Penguin has taken a few weeks off. Something about going the Patagonia’s wireless connection, no doubt. But never fear, the little manbird has returned to round up the end of the month’s hottest jams. Dig in…

Aaliyah: “Rock the Boat” (Tony Quattro Refix), digital release
The NY-based DJ crafts an airy, engulfing new take on one of the ultimate classics of modern R&B. More than ten years since its release, “Rock the Boat” continues to sounds aeons ahead of its time.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/50412957″ iframe=”true” /]

AlunaGeorge: “Your Drums, Your Love” (Friendly Fires Remix) from Your Drums, Your Love single (out 10/7 on TriAngle)
The St. Albans trio have long been flexing their significant remixing muscles, and their most recent is one of their best. A brilliant re-work of one of the songs of 2012.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/61099272″ iframe=”true” /]

alt-j: “Tessellate” (SARM Acoustic Version), original from An Awesome Wave (out now on Infectious)
A stripped down take on one of the best take of the year. Though they haven’t received a lot of love in the American press, An Awesome Wave remains one of the most idea-packed, versatile albums of the year.

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Andy Stott: “Numb” from Luxury Problems (out 10/29 on Modern Love)
The debut single from the esoteric Brit’s highly-anticipated follow-up to his stunning discs, Pass Me By and We Stay Together (both 2011). One of the most thrilling, challenging, unique voices in dance music.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/61249145″ iframe=”true” /]

Chief Keef, Kanye West, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Big Sean: “Don’t Like” (Remix) from Cruel Summer (out now on G.O.O.D. Music)

Though Kanye and co.’s hotly-anticipated Cruel Summer was a bit of a damp squib, it yielded some massive singles. And none were bigger than this monstrous re-touch of the biggest hip-hop song of the year. Expressing the rage and chaos of one of Chicago’s bloodiest summers ever, Keef’s original is both a sad indictment of the state of many parts of the city and an example of Chuck D’s assertion that hip-hop is the CNN of the Ghetto.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/45012571″ iframe=”true” /]

CHVRCHES: “The Mother We Share” from The Mother We Share (out 11/5 on National Anthem)
Sky Ferriera isn’t the only artist who recently dropped an undeniable synth-pop single this quarter. This Scottish group’s break-out single will bounce, burrow, and wriggle its way through your earbuds and into your heart. An absolute earworm.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/60173536″ iframe=”true” /]

Crystal Castles: “Wrath of God” from III (out 11/8 on Casablanca)

Though their style is very much indie dance á la mode, the Canadian duo still sport a sound all their own. They’ve always been brilliant at creating moods, and Alice Glass’ feral shriek is still captivating.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/61267542″ iframe=”true” /]

Dan Bodan: “DP” from DP/Aaron (single) (out now on DFA)
I know it’s been out for a while, but not enough people are talking about this Canadian crooner’s graceful sound. Channeling past luminaries like Bryan Ferry and Arthur Russel, Bodan’s vocal twinkles above a deft piano line with arresting ease. Perfect.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/54883249″ iframe=”true” /]

Plenty more after the jump….

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Kanye West
“Clique” (f/ Big Sean, Jay-Z)
Cruel Summer (G.O.O.D. Music, out 09/18)

In honor of the recent release of Cruel Summer‘s tracklist, I’ve decided to do things a little different. On his excellent new single, the Louis Vuitton Don repeats “ain’t nobody fuckin’ with my clique” roughly 2,193 times, and that got me thinking.

1. Who exactly is in Kanye’s clique?
2. Which of said members would I be most likely to fuck with?

So I decided to do a little research and make a list of potential clique members and rate them in descending order, from ones I most back myself to fuck with to unfuckwitable. Here goes nothing.

Tier 1: The Krissy Humphries: “Immanently Fuckwitable” Group

2 Chainz: The artist formerly known as Tity Boi leads our list. Honestly, does Kanye owe his dad a favor or something? How he continues to get on hot tracks/what he brings to the table remain the greatest unsolved mysteries Carlos Boozer’s hair. He makes Murphy Lee sound like Andre 3000.

Big Sean: He comes in just above 2 Chainz, thanks to his cool hat collection, past collaboration with The-Dream, and the fact that my buddy Sean thinks he’s hella handsome. Comes in second-to-last because his flows are as interesting as a JWOWW TED Talk.

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The xx
Coexist (Young Turks, out now)

Generally, the point of this site is for me to put people on to what I’m listening to, but for this post, my goal is to stick up for one of the best new bands in years and thumb my nose at the critics who are stupidly criticizing their new album. After lapping up universal plaudits for their spectacular debut LP, the South London trio are facing an unfair, altogether predictable backlash from the American online press, generally accusing the group of sounding to much like itself. When Fleet Foxes, The National, and Arcade Fire built on their signature styles, they were lionized for crafting distinctive sounds, but for some reason when The xx does it, they are accused of lacking vision, bravery, and versatility.

The truth is, when you’ve found a sound this unique, breathtaking, and penetrating, you should do everything in your power to explore it further, and I’m damn glad they did. Coexist has everything that xx did — the arresting vulnerability, the seductive vocals, the delicately beautiful arraignments — with improved songwriting and production. Though it doesn’t feel quite as seminal as their debut (“You always remember your first time”), it’s an incredible statement from one of the best bands in the world (yeah, I said it), and I have a feeling that, in time, it could even surpass their debut. Now there’s nothing left to do, but sit back, listen, enjoy, and wait for the detractors to clean the egg off their faces. Don’t buy the hate; this is still one of the absolute best albums of the year.

Hottest Jams (so far): “Unfold,” “Missing,” “Swept Away”

“Unfold”

“Missing”

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“Swept Away”

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Flying Lotus
“Until the Quiet Comes” a Short Film By Kahlil Joseph
With music from Until The Quiet Comes (Warp, out 10/2)

Today’s Hot Jam of the Day isn’t really a jam at all, but when Flying Lotus releases any glimpses of new music, it qualifies. Accompanied by some arresting visuals courtesy of rising filmaker Kahlil Joseph, we get tastes of three new evocative FlyLo (né Steven Elliot) tracks. All three feature his signature impossibly layered arraignments, lush melodies, and spot-on drum patterns. They also all feature soulful, accesible vocal parts (one of which is by the great Erykah Badu). Though Elliot has worked with plenty of singers, it’s a bit surprising that all three tracks feature vocalists, as he has generally used them sparingly on his previous LPs. That said, a lot of my favorite of his tracks have singing, so I’m not mad if that’s the case. Either way, all three cuts serve as reminders that nobody does it quite like FlyLo. Don’t be surprised if Until the Quiet Comes is one of the albums of the year.

Angel Olsen
“Acrobat”
Halfway Home (Bathetic, out 09/04)

Angel Olsen’s breathtaking debut LP is the kind of album that you dream of finding buried in some dusty cardboard box in the attic of your grandparent’s house. A beautiful, seminal folk LP from the late 50’s that somehow everybody else missed but you discovered. It, of course, isn’t, but it sure feels like it is. Halfway Home is the follow-up to St. Louis-bred, Chicago-based folk singer’s debut cassette (yes, they still make those), Strange Cacti, and it has more than realized the potential that she showed on that release. Olsen is both a powerhouse and delicate vocalist and her full-throated delivery is disarming and arresting. One of the most fascinating voices in new folk, Halfway House is a must-hear for anyone who dug Laura Marling’s new album or one of Joni Mitchell’s timeless, old ones. Brilliant.

Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange” remains one of my favorite albums of 2012, and to celebrate it, I rounded up a few of the best FO remixes for your listening pleasure. 

Frank Ocean: “Pyramids” (Kastle Remix)

The San Francisco-based producer’s expansive, just-a-little-bit-screwed remix of the best song of the year is about to join his Infinite City EP on heavy rotation in Thunder Penguin’s Bionic Igloo (read: my bedroom). He absolutely nails the emotive feel of the song, while giving it a little added edge. The 8-bit synth in the bridge is worth the price of admission by itself. Crazy.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57078542″ iframe=”true” /]

Frank Ocean: “Thinking About You” (Ryan Hemsworth Edit)

Our next remix comes from the blogosphere’s producer du jour, the talented Ryan Hemsworth. The Canadian obviously has a serious background in hip-hop, and he takes the original out of your bedroom and into your ride…even though it still works great in your bedroom.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/54680105″ iframe=”true” /]

Frank Ocean: “Thinking About You” (Nite Jewel+Nicholas Krgovich ReWork)

Last up, we’ve got a pensive take from Nite Jewel’s Ramona Gonzalez and Canadian, velvet-voiced troubadour Nicholas Krgovich. I haven’t heard every remix from Channel Orange, but I’ll happily wager that this is the only one that prominently features a flute. Would have loved to hear Gonzalez really open it up here, but it’s still a nice, breezy version of it.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/52215807″ iframe=”true” /]

King Krule
“Rock Bottom”
Rock Bottom 7″ (Rinse, out 08/25) 

King Krule’s music is the audio equivalent of Greg Oden. I’m not talking about the bad knees, awful beard, or gigantic peni… er, hands. Oden is still in his mid-twenties, but he’s looked like he’s about 41 since he was in high school. The artist formally known as Zoo Kid (né Archy Marshall) is still a couple of years away from his 20th birthday, but he sounds and writes like a 60-some-odd year-old Mississippi Delta blues man. For the better part of three years, he’s been crafting affecting, musically progressive gutter soul, and he just continues to get better.

Coming off the back of his excellent self-titled 2011 EP (and its a-fucking-mazing lead single “The Noose of Jah City”), “Rock Bottom” has all the hallmarks of a Marshall classic: razor-sharp guitar stabs, reflective lyrics, and his dropdead vocals, which lie somewhere between Joe Strummer after ten packs of Marlboro reds and a feral coyote. To top it off, he throws in a nod to a key song on one of my favorite albums of all time. Imagine how good he’ll get when he can legally drink!

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And just because it’s still that fucking brilliant, check out “The Noose of Jah City,” my third favorite track of 2011.